Fate
by Moonlit Despair
Summary: After the war, Dearka and Mirialla haven't seen eachother in two years, but once they do in Lacus' party, will love blossom once more? pairings various. DxM fosho! Made for Infinite Sky.
1. Chapter 1

**C h a p t e r o n e**

_"And yet this creep..!" The girl shrieked, "what is this scum bag doing here?!?" She screamed, tears pouring from her eyes. _

Those words echoed in his mind over and over again. She had almost killed him, and all he said was a few things about her dead boyfriend.

_"Why are you crying? Is it because your good for nothing boyfriend died and left you?" He said, a smirk grazing his lips._

Thinking back on it, he was still pretty harsh. Scratch that thought, VERY harsh. It was still the past, about two years ago, and he still remembered it freshly.

His roommate, Yzak, was muttering nonsense in his sleep, and he wondered if Yzak ever loved anyone. Maybe Shiho? Or that Fllay Allster girl that arrived on their ship before?

Dearka sighed, Miriallia probably still hated him. The last time he saw her, she didn't even glance back and wave, she was still not over her anger towards him. He remembered her last words though.

_"Dearka! Go away! Just… leave me alone!" She cried, sobbing in the corner, clutching a small frame in her hands._

_Dearka blinked, advancing, walking towards her, "why are you crying, Miriallia?"_

_The girl just cried harder, and in an instant, the blonde and pulled the sobbing girl in his arms, holding her gently, yet firmly. She was surprised at first, and he knew she was about to question it, but instead said something that surprised him instead._

_"It's my anniversary… Tolle… It's our anniversary…" she cried, burying her face in his chest, her tears soaking his shirt._

_Dearka just held her closer, "shh… it's okay, but you know what? He's probably here… right now, watching over you."_

_Miriallia's tears had stopped flowing, and she looked at him, "y-you… really think so?"_

_The blonde smiled, "I know so, he loves you and wouldn't leave you alone and your special day."_

Even after that special moment, she had stopped crying and even thanked him, she was still angry at him. He didn't know why, and didn't bother asking, for he knew she would probably slap him or something.

------------------

The brunette stepped out of the shower, feeling cold air hit her body like a shock wave. She let out a small shiver, then looked in the mirror as she wrapped a towel around her body.

Her eyes softened as memories came back to her as they usually did.

_Lost Signal…_

That is what the screen had said the exact moment Tolle's sky grasper had been destroyed. The exact moment he died.

The phone rang, so she left the bathroom, walking around in a towel as she answered it.

"Hello?"

_'Miriallia! C'mon! The party is later on and you have to help us decorate!' _

She sighed, "alright, Lacus. I'll be there in about ten minutes."

_'You better be! Even Stellar is here and she has a hard time waking up early!'_

"Alright, Alright," she laughed, then hung up.

Getting dressed into her orange dress she used to love and wear all the time, she combed her hair neatly and glanced at the picture of her and Tolle once more before heading out the door.

Lacus' mansion was near her house, so she didn't bother driving, and took some extra decorating ribbons just in case Lacus forgot like she always did when she was pressured about preparing a big bash.

The Clyne mansion was the biggest around. It had a huge flower bed, that surrounded it, a pool at the back, and lots more things to entertain herself with. That's why everyone always came to her parties, and even begged to get an invitation.

"Hi ….Lacus! …I'm …here!" Miriallia said, panting, the front door was REALLY far away from the front gates.

Lacus shrieked from up the flight of the stairs, "Miriallia! Finally! You won't believe it! I forgot the decoration ribbons again!"

The brunet was already looking through her bag, then pulled them out, handing them to the pink haired girl, "here, I knew you would."

"Oh thank you Mir! You're a life saver!"

Miriallia looked away, _'I wish I would have been for Tolle…' _She hid her sadness, and forced a smile, "so, who else is coming?"

"Oh I don't remember… A lot of people from the war though, this is more of a party to them, congrats on the war being over kind of thing." The pink haired replied, inspecting the silk ribbons that Miriallia had just handed to her, then gave them to a maid, ordering her to put them up someplace.

She nodded, then saw Stellar wearing a maid outfit, which looked really cute on her and she was practicing how to carry a tray with items on it. She balanced very well for the first time.

"H-hey! I'm doing it!" She cried as the tray balanced perfectly, the glass cups on it staying perfectly still.

"Good for you, Stellar," Miriallia complimented, smiling. The blonde saw Miriallia, "hi Mir! Stellar is glad Mir could come!"

"I'm glad you could come too, Stellar," she replied. She and Stellar had gotten closer, and Miriallia acted like the girls older sister, they always looked out for each other and she always felt responsible for Stellar.

"Is Shinn coming too?" The girl asked, and Miriallia shrugged, "not sure, you like him… don't you?"

Immediately, the younger girls face turned red, "w-well… I.."

The brunet laughed, "it's alright, you've said enough."

Stellar got back to work, and Miriallia looked around the house to see what she could do to fix things up much more around here. There were a lot of pictures of all of them around as well, and she paused when she saw the picture of her and Tolle hanging up on the wall. It was huge, and Kira had probably gotten a hold of it to give to Lacus.

She sighed, then saw one with Kira, Athrun, and Dearka. She remembered him well, and also remembered how she felt towards him.

Anger.

Hate.

Frustration.

Then… eventually attachment.

Miriallia remembered that Dearka would always comfort her when she would burst out crying or when she became depressed. But then, she would easily get angered by him. At their first meeting, he had said some bad things about Tolle, and they still pissed her off, but he had said sorry about them.

Sometimes, he would mock her if she would talk about memories with Tolle, probably a cover up for him, and she would end up punching him or something.

The last time she saw him was when the war ended and the two were forced on moving their separate ways. She knew he had been watching her departure, and then, when he turned to go to his destination, was when she turned and watched him.

Miriallia missed him, but missed Tolle a greater amount and had forgotten him.

_'Will Dearka come to the party tonight?'_

She began to dust the furniture, Lacus screaming at her to do make things look perfect. She had always laughed at how Lacus got when it was party time, it would always be so different of her.

She also remembered when Dearka had chased after her when she overheard some crew members talking about Tolle's death and said this:

_'I didn't kill him! I don't know who did… but I didn't! Really! Please don't cry…"_

Miriallia had even begun to hate coordinators when Dearka first arrived onto the Archangel, but then realized that she would've ended up just like Fllay. The red head was only using Kira at the time, but Miriallia knew she did, deep down inside, had feelings for the brown haired.

She was confused and consumed by grief of her father's death, that it took over her true feelings. The brunet didn't want that.

"Miriallia! Lacus wants to see you!" She heard Stellar call.

"Alright!" She shouted back, then walked towards where she heard Stellar's voice. Lacus had been tapping her foot impatiently.

"Finally! Took you long enough!" She said, then held out a package, "mix the drinks!" She ordered, a stern look on her face.

"Lacus! Please remember your stress!" Her maid called.

The pink haired nodded, "oh… Right!" She turned back to Miriallia, "mix the drinks… please?"

The brunette laughed, "okay, Lacus."

She took the package, then went to the large kitchen, getting out five big bowls and some soda, mixing the powder in the packages with water then adding soda to make punch.

"Hey Lacus! We're here!" She heard a masculine voice call.

"Kira!"

Miriallia heard the sound of running then the ruffle of two bodies being glomped together. Lacus had just run into Kira's arms.

"Haha okay, Lacus, need me to help you with anything?"

"Yeah, try and help Cagalli, she's organizing the backyard to make it look spectacular!"

"Alright," the brunet passed by the kitchen, then saw Miriallia, "oh, hey Mir, how have you been?"

"Pretty good… I've been busy with photography but not as busy I can be if I get a full time job… how about you? Still into computers?"

Kira laughed, "yeah! I work at EA games, I'm their manager, man… one sweet job and I LOVE it!"

Miriallia laughed, "oh, you're such a geek…"

Kira stuck his tongue out, "oh shut up."

The brown haired left, probably to the garden where Cagalli was, and Miriallia was once again, alone. She put the large bowls into the fridge, then filled the ice trays with water so there would be ice later on when she took the punch out.

"Hey Lacus… is the enemy going to come? I mean like… the Earth Alliance?" Miriallia heard Cagalli ask, then walked out of the kitchen.

Stellar tensed at that, and Lacus noticed, "Cagalli!" She scolded, "that's no way to talk like that! The war is long gone and there is no such enemy anymore!"

The blonde smiled nervously, "yeah… hehe… sorry."

"Oh and to answer your question, I don't know, probably. Stellar might've invited them."

The other blonde grinned, "Neo, Sting, Auel, Shani, Clotho, and Orga are coming!"

Cagalli rolled her eyes, "I hope they aren't asses…" She muttered.

"No! They're Extended's just like me!" She smiled happily.

Miriallia smiled, "they must be really nice," she said. The blonde smiled, and the two continued to get to work, seeing Lacus' stern expression.

----

"Feh… Why do _we_ have to go anyway?" Yzak shouted, feeling really irritated he looked through his clothes to find something suitable to wear.

"Fllay will be there," Dearka stated simply, and the argument was done.

Shiho apparently wasn't Yzak's type, she was much too quiet. Dearka had no idea who he actually liked though, not Miriallia, no way. Besides, he hasn't seen her in a really long time, she might've lost her babe appearance.

"Eww Dearka… You look like a freak in that outfit!" The silver haired commented.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks for that," he said sarcastically.

And with that, the two headed off towards the Clyne mansion, wondering who was going to be there and what would happen.

-----

"Well! The party is going to be fantastic! You guys did an _amazing_ job!" Lacus complimented, "and now, hurry and get prepared yourselves, the party will start in ten minutes!" 

Miriallia sighed, taking out the dress she was going to wear, then heading for the bathroom to change.

_'I wonder what will happen tonight…'_


	2. Chapter 2

**C h a p t e r o n e**

Miriallia zipped up her dress, looking into the mirror. She wore a classic black dress, thin straps holding it up, the hem reaching her knees, and the fabric clinging to her body comfortably, yet in a sexy way.

She left the bathroom, her high heels making her walk wobbly for awhile until she got the hang of it, she sighed, then walked down the stairs.

"OMIGOSH! Wow Milly! You look wonderful!" Lacus cried, of course wearing her expensive gowns.

Miriallia smiled, "thank you, not too shabby yourself."

Stellar came up with a light blue dress, a halter with a frilly hem that reached her knees.

She smiled, "hi Mir... Stellar thinks Miriallia looks pretty."

Miriallia grinned, "you look very pretty yourself," she said, patting the younger girl on the head. Cagalli wore her usual, pale green dress, and Kira wore his white dress shirt with the rest being casual.

Everything was set out perfectly, the food, the decorations. There was different rooms for different activities. A ballroom for dancing, a garden in the back for couples, etc.

The brunette smoothed out the wrinkles of her dress, feeling slightly nervous. She hadn't been around so many people at once for so long, and she only knew about half of the people coming.

Lacus smiled, "nervous?"

She nodded, "yeah..."

"Well, I'm sure you'll fit right in, after all, you met most of the people coming," she said, then heard the door bell ring.

----------

Soon, the party had started. Athrun, Mwu (AKA Neo), Murrue, Fllay, Sai, Shinn, Sting, Auel, Shani, Clotho, Orga, and even Meer came. Miriallia was chatting with Cagalli, a bit perked up since everyone was treating her kindly.

"Hey, do you know if Yzak or Dearka is coming?" She suddenly asked the blond.

Cagalli blinked, "well, I'm sure Yzak is, and those two are always together, so if Yzak comes, Dearka will probably too. As usual, they're late."

Miriallia smiled, "alright."

"Milly! Come on and join us! This used to be your favorite song!" Meer called from the dance floor. Everyone was dancing, and looking like they were having a good time, even Cagalli got up to dance.

"No thanks... I'm not in the mood for this kind of thing," she said, smiling.

Lacus grinned, "well, you're welcome to join us whenever you like," she said.

The redhead smiled, turning to Sai, "want to go to the garden?" She asked. She had gotten over Kira, knowing that him and Lacus were in love clearly, and had gone back to her first love.

The orange haired smiled, "sure, Fllay."

The two left the ballroom, and Miriallia left too, to go get some punch. Kira was talking with Auel, Sting and Stellar, the four of them sweating from all the dancing.

Shani, Clotho, and Orga were playing the playstation 3 on the HUGE television set.

"Aha! Got ya there!" Shani shouted, attacking Clotho's gundam. Apparently, they had created a game after the war, and it was one of the hottest games ever made.

Miriallia poured herself a glass of the sweet liquid, sipping at it gingerly, she wasn't really thirsy, she just wanted something to do, since everyone was dancing and she wasn't in a dancing mood.

_'Dearka... is he really going to come?' _She thought to herself. It had been so long since she had actually even thought about him.

Suddenly, Stellar ran up to her, "come and dance with Stellar! Please?" She asked, the blond girl's eyes shining brightly at her.

The brunette opened her mouth to protest, but knew Stellar just wanted her to have to fun, so nodded with a smile, "alright, fine."

The two went into the ballroom, where the loud, booming music and different colored lights made it so impossible to avoid a few dance moves. Kira, Auel and Sting had followed them in, and immediately, they were dancing.

Auel was doing some dance moves, probably to show off in front of Stellar, and Sting joined in, making it look like a rehearsed dance routine.

The blond smiled, taking Miriallia onto the dance floor, and soon, the beat was in brunette's feet, her body rocking to the beat energetically. Everyone knew that she was one of the girls that knew how to dance amazingly.

"Thats my girl!" Lacus chanted, grinning.

Miriallia laughed happily, sweat forming on her body and her body adjusting to the beat as soon as it changed quickly. She didn't notice the two figures that had entered the Clyne mansion, and just continued dancing.

"So THIS is the Clyne mansion... impressive," Yzak said, smirking. Dearka shrugged, knocking on the wooden door, it being answered by a maid.

"Good evening, are you here for you party?" She questioned, then the two handed her the invitations. The young girl stepped aside, allowing them in, and the two heard the booming music and the chatting, and the laughter.

"Wow... a lot of people came, huh?" Dearka said.

The silver haired nodded, "sounds like it, let's go."

They walked down the hall, then passed the room where they held all the food, then the game room, with Shani, Clotho, and Orga still playing the gundam game. Then, they turned the corner, seeing the large doors open to see dancers in the room.

They could smell the heat in there, and hear the loud music, and see the multi colored lights and the fun the dancers were having, so they entered.

"Dearka! Yzak! You guys came!" Lacus squealed as soon as she saw them. Everyone smiled as they saw the two, and they smiled back. Athrun approached the pair, "well, haven't seen you two in a long time..." he said.

Yzak grinned, "probably for the best, too."

The blunet laughed, "you haven't changed a bit."

Dearka was looking at all the people, and saw a few he didn't recognize. Lacus realized this, and stepped up.

"This is Stellar," she said, pointing to the blond, and Stellar waved, smiling. "This is Auel," she said, pointing the sky haired, and Auel just narrowed his eyes at him. "And this is Sting," she said, pointing to the green haired, and Sting just let out a small smile.

She turned to Dearka, "they are former Earth Alliance soldiers, Stellar was in the Gaia, Auel was in the Abyss, and Sting was in the Chaos."

Yzak frowned, "you..." he said, remembering the battle at the fall of Junius Seven. Dearka held him back, "it's the past, let it go."

The silver haired glared at him, "fine."

Lacus smiled, "and Shani, Clotho, and Orga are in the game room, I think you probably saw them already if you passed that room."

The two nodded, and Dearka looked around once more, "hey... has Miriallia been invited?"

The pink haired smiled, "yep, she just stepped out, she was dancing like crazy a minute ago," she replied. Soon, everyone had gotten back to dancing.

"Has Fllay been invited too?" Yzak asked hopefully.

"Yes, of course, but she went to the garden with Sai," she informed. The silver haired frowned in jealousy, then saw that Shiho had arrived. He remembered her being so quiet the past years being her teammate, and he didn't know why.

Lacus pulled Yzak onto the dance floor, and soon, he had begun to dance. Dearka left the room, to go see if Miriallia was actually here. His heart began beating, and he could feel himself shaking a bit.

He had actually missed her so much, and he was finally going to see her again. Turning the corner, he saw nobody in the hall. She was probably in the room with all the food or something.

Entering the room, he saw her pouring herself a glass of punch. His eyes widened, so much for her babe appearance disappearing. She had even gotten hotter! His eyes trailed her body, seeing curves and feeling his face turn red.

"M-Miriallia..." he murmured.

The brunette turned back, hearing her name, and immediately dropped her glass, the liquid spilling onto the ground. Her eyes were wide, "Dearka...?"

Dearka had expected her to run up into his arms in a greeting, but his hopes fell when he saw her frown.

"What are you doing here...?" She asked.

"Uhm... I... Lacus invited me..." he said.

"I see," she replied coldly. She was about to walk past him, and had almost left the room, when a hand darted to her wrist, grabbing her. He pulled her into a hug, "Milly... you might think I'm silly but... I've missed you so much," he said softly.

Her eyes widened, a blush creeping onto her features, "D-Dearka... let me go.." she said, and he held on a little bit more, before letting her go.

The blond smirked, "what, you haven't missed me?" He asked, his old self coming back. The brunette regained her composure, "no! No way! I haven't missed you at all!"

Dearka grinned, tilting her face up with his chin, "look me in the eyes and say that," he said.

Miriallia swatted his hand away, then ran out of the room, going back to the ballroom. Dearka leaned onto the wall, _'what just happened... just now? Did I just hug her..? Did I just... tell her that I missed her...? What the hell is wrong with me! She hates me... but...'_

A smirk played onto his lips, _'Maybe I can change that...' _


	3. Chapter 3

**C h a p t e r t h r e e **

Miriallia went back to the ballroom to continue dancing, to try and shake herself of the thought of Dearka. She couldn't believe she saw him again, and was surprised her more was that he hugged her, and she still treated him coldly.

Why was she so angry with him? She didn't really know. He helped her get over her depression with Tolle.. but...

Her eyes darkened, he said those things about him, and probably was only helping her out to get what he wanted.

Lacus saw her enter the ballroom again, and smiled, "so did you talk to Dearka?"

"Never mind about that, let's dance," she replied, and pulled Lacus back onto the dance floor, dancing her troubles away. There was also people she didn't know, many guys flocking to her area of the dance floor, to try and dance along with her. She just ignored them, and continued dancing.

Auel looked around for Stellar, and when he finally did, he frowned. Stellar was resting at the bar, talking with Shinn. He stopped dancing when he noticed this, and was shocked to see Shinn leaning in closer, Stellar doing the same. They were going to kiss!

_'Not if I can help it...'_ He darkly thought, and ran to the bar, landing a punch in Shinn's jaw to keep his lips away from Stellar's.

"Bastard! Stay away from her!"

The dark haired recovered quickly, then rubbed his jaw, glaring angrily at Shinn. His anger flared in his eyes, "why you..."

Lacus stepped in between, "no fights! Or else I'll have you both kicked from the party! Regardless of who started it or not!"

"But.." the said in unison but was interrupted by the pink haired.

"No buts!"

"Fine.." they muttered, their eyes still locked onto each others, their blood boiling. Dearka had stepped in when he saw Auel land the punch, and was part of the crowd who stopped to see the action.

Miriallia took Stellar by the hand, "let's leave these two... I don't suggest you try to kiss Shinn or anything while Auel is around.."

She blinked, "why not?"

Miriallia smiled, "because, he gets jealous easy, didn't you see what just happened?"

The blond nodded, and was taken back to the dance floor by Miriallia. Soon, the dancing began again, Auel and Shinn taking out their anger by having a dance off.

The brunette took Stellar away from the circle of people who wanted to see who would win, before she would start rooting for someone and spurring them on more. She felt eyes on her as she and Stellar danced, but ignored them, knowing full well who was watching her.

Dearka sighed, watched her dance, wanting to go up there and dance with her, but knew it was hopeless. Yzak approached him, grinning because his heart was set on someone else now.

"What's wrong with you, 'Arka?" he asked. Turning to see who Dearka was staring at, he sighed realizing it was Miriallia, "well, good luck with her."

"And what about you?" Dearka asked, curious about his friend's strange happiness.

"Oh, well.. I was just talking to Shiho. She was part of our squad you know, but she never talked! I thought she was mute or something..." he said, "she's very nice."

Dearka raised an eyebrow, Yzak calling someone nice was very strange. Very strange indeed.

He smirked, "you like her, don't you?"

The platinum blond blushed furiously, "no I don't! Shut up!"

He laughed, then looked back to Miriallia dancing again. Yzak sighed, grabbing his arm, "come on, meet some girls to dance with before you make yourself miserable."

Dearka let himself get dragged on by Yzak, who told him to turn on his charms and shoved him to a girl who was by herself at the bar.

"Hey there, my name is Dearka... and I was wondering, would you like to dance?"

The girl turned towards him, a blank expression on her face, but then smiled gently, nodding.

"My name is Pika," she said.

_'Pika? She's named after a pokemon?"_ he thought, but ignored it, _'oh well, at least she's pretty to look at.'_

He held out his hand, and she took it, as he led her to the dance floor. The two began dancing, and he smiled when he noticed that she was a great dancer as well.

Miriallia sighed, stopping her dance, "I'm sorry, Stellar... I'm just too tired right now..." she apologized.

The blond nodded, "it's okay, Stellar is tired too."

Lacus approached the two, "do you two just want to hang out? I'm losing all my energy from this party.." she said, wiping the sweat from her brow.

They nodded, and exited the ballroom. They went to the lounge, and Miriallia flopped onto a couch, laying down.

"Whew.. this is some party, I had no idea it would be this fun!"

Lacus smiled, "yeah, me neither. I was worried that we would all be sitting in the lounge, saying nothing and sitting in awkward silence.. I'm glad it's a success."

Stellar giggled, "yeah... and Shinn almost kissed Stellar too!"

Miriallia looked at her, "be careful okay? Auel can be very protective of you, so make sure he isn't around while you and Shinn are together."

The blond nodded, "okay!"

Lacus closed her eyes, resting her head against the couch. She wondered why Kira wasn't really talking to her tonight, he usually would want to stay with her. But now, she had noticed he wasn't approaching her or anything.

Sighing, she got up, "well, I'd better go monitor the party... don't want any fights to start."

Miriallia nodded, and Stellar stood as well, energy returning to her quickly, "Stellar wants to go dance again."

Milly was left on the couch, closing her eyes. She rested wearily, wondering still why Dearka hugged her. Had he really missed her? She shook her head. Couldn't be. She had to admit though, she missed him a bit when she lived on her own, and sometimes even thought about him.

Dearka left the ballroom. The girl had actually tried to kiss him! He frowned, normally, he wouldn't mind if a girl he just met kissed him, but things were too complicated for him right now.

Turning to the lounge to get his mind off things, he froze. There was Miriallia, asleep on the couch, and laying down he had to add.

Sitting down in the couch next to hers, he paused. What if she awoke? Would she scream and hit him? She _was_ a strong girl. Just as he pondered on this, he saw her eyes flutter open.

Time seemed to stand still as he watched her, his body frozen as if he thought he wouldn't see him. He could actually feel his heart beating, but his breathing stopped.

"Dearka..?" she murmured slowly, seeing him sitting on the couch next to hers.

"U-uh... I'll go now..." he stuttered, standing up to leave so she wouldn't get angry with him.

"Wait!"

Her hand grabbed his wrist as she sat up, a solemn expression on her face, "I just... wanted to apologize for being kind of... mean to you earlier.." she said.

"Oh? Really?" a smirk spread on his lips as he sat down next to her, "but I was wondering..." he saw her look at him, "why are you always so angry with me?"

She looked away, but didn't answer, and stood up, "I think it's best if we stay away from each other for awhile."

"What! Why?" he stood as well.

She blinked, hearing how desperate he sounded, "because, it's just for the best," she answered, and was about to walk away from him, when he grabbed her wrist for the second time that night.

He didn't pull her into a hug, but just stood there, keeping her from walking away. She turned around to face him, "what is it?"

"Why do you want to stay away from me?" he asked.

She was surprised as how much hurt she detected laced within his voice, "D-Dearka... I didn't think you would care..."

"Of course I care!" He whipped around, then hugged her tightly, "of course I'd care... Miriallia... when I was aboard the ship with you.. I think I-"

She pulled away, "that's enough!"

He blinked, "Miriallia... I-"

"No! Don't even say it! I know the trick you guys always play! I know what kind of guy you are!... You said those things about Tolle when you didn't even know him, you mocked my grief! You..." she trailed off, biting her lower lip so she couldn't continue on. Because now, he knew what her anger was all about.

"Miriallia... I didn't mean to hurt you when I said those things... back then, I thought war was just a game... I thought grief was pathetic. I even hated naturals..." he murmured, looking into her eyes.

She frowned, "well just... leave me alone, okay? As I've said, we should stay away from each other."

He looked towards the ground, "Miriallia, we have too much of a past to just forget, we're already a big part of each others lives," he looked from the ground to her face, "I just can't stay away from you now, I'm sorry."

Miriallia glared at him, then turned and walked away, back to the ballroom where he couldn't talk to her, alone anyway.

--

She glared at the ground as she walked, _'just who does he think he is? I apologized to him and told him that we shouldn't be near each other anymore, and he still persists and being my friend! What is that man thinking?'_

Entering the ballroom, she saw Auel talking with Stellar off in the sidelines, and still dancing people on the dance floor. Her ears had finally gotten rid of the ringing in her ears when she stepped out, but now, it blared in her ears and took quite awhile before she could get used to it.

"Hi there."

Turning to the masculine voice she heard, she saw a boy beside her. She hadn't noticed him approach her, but saw that he was a bit shy, for he looked towards the ground. He had red hair, but wavy and small eyes.

_Just like Tolle's..._

"I-I was wondering if you'd like to dance," he said, a slight blush on his cheeks.

She smiled, noticing a slow song was playing, and took his hand that he offered to her after seeing her say yes. She saw how eager he was, and chuckled to herself. It was just like how she and Tolle first met. On the dance floor.

Holding her to him, the two danced to the slow beat of the song, and Miriallia saw other couples as well. Stellar was currently dancing with Shinn, and Auel was on the sidelines scowling. Fllay and Sai were dancing, Athrun and Cagalli, and Yzak and Shiho. What surprised her the most was that Kira was talking with some people at the bar while Lacus was leaning against the wall, looking terribly lonely and depressed.

She looked to her dance partner, "my name is Miriallia," she introduced.

"My name is Tai," he replied, smiling.

Tai and Tolle looked similar, but not exactly the same. The both had small, brown eyes, and wavy hair. The difference between the two was that Tai looked more masculine and taller with red hair and green eyes, rather than Tolle's brown eyes and brown hair. The masculinity and height was probably because Tolle was sixteen, and this boy was probably 19, the same age as she was.

"Nice to meet you," she smiled.

Lacus sighed, trying hard not to cry right there. Had Kira no idea how much it hurt to be ignored? Especially at her own party?

Lately, he had been distant, but not as distant as this. It frightened her to think about why he would ignore her. Biting her lower lip, many thoughts crossed her mind, has he lost feelings for her? Was there another woman? Was he just testing her? She really had no idea.

She sighed once more, then decided to leave the ballroom, seeing as she couldn't take it anymore. Kira wasn't going to ask her to dance, and that was that.

Before she could exit, a hand grabbed her wrist.

"What the-" she whirled around.

A young man stood before her, and she had to admit, a handsome one. He had jet black hair, and pale blue eyes. His skin, finely toned, was a gentle tan, and looked flawless.

"Excuse me miss... I had seen you by yourself and I was wondering if you'd like to dance with me," he offered.

She considered for a moment, Kira hadn't asked her to dance at all, but would he get mad if she danced with someone else? Masking her thoughts with a smile, she took the hand held out to her, and let herself follow him to the dance floor.

She kept her eyes away from Kira as she placed her hand on this mans shoulder, her other hand taken by him as they swayed to the music.

"My name is Lacus, Lacus Clyne."

His eyes widened, "you mean, you're the host of this party? Wow... and nobody asked you to dance! I'm so shocked! Someone as beautiful as you should have a line of boys just waiting to dance with you."

She blushed from the flattery, "thank you... but I guess my boyfriend doesn't think that way, hm?" she said, her voice quivering, despite her joking manner.

"Oh really? Well... I'd better introduce myself before we go deeper into this conversation, my name is Hikaru," he said, "now tell me, that is if you want to, why your boyfriend didn't ask you to dance?"

She looked away, sighing, "well... lately he's been distant with me and he ignored me throughout the entire party. I'm frightened to go and ask him if anythings wrong."

Hikaru sighed, "well don't worry too much about it, just pretend nothings wrong, like you don't even notice if he's trying to ignore you," he smiled, "and besides, I don't think he would be able to keep ignoring you for long, I can't see anybody keeping themselves from you."

Lacus blushed delicately from the compliments, "thanks for the advice, Hikaru. I'm glad to have met you," she said.

"Anytime," he grinned.

Athrun blinked, wondering what in the world was going on. It was a couples dance, yet the only couples on the dance floor were him and Cagalli, Shiho and Yzak, Shinn and Stellar (both couples soon to be anyway..), and Sai and Fllay. Lacus was supposed to be with Kira, not that other guy she was dancing with, and Miriallia was predicated to have gone with Dearka, who was at the bar with Kira.

Turning to Cagalli, she nodded, noticing the same thing.

"Has Kira been thinking about dumping Lacus lately?" Cagalli asked.

"No.. he hasn't said anything about her actually. I've noticed he's been ignoring her... I'll ask him what's on his mind later, okay?" he said.

The blond nodded, "good, because he's hurting her a lot and will lose her pretty soon if he doesn't smarten up, that new guy over there seems to be hitting it off pretty well," she commented, seeing Lacus' cheeks turn red.

The blue haired planted a sudden kiss on her lips, "let's think about this later okay? I'd rather focus on this dance..."

She giggled, and rested her head on his chest, swaying with him to the music.

Miriallia and Tai were actually getting along pretty well. Occassionally, he would blush out of shyness, and same would she.

"Well Tai, thank you for this dance..." she said, and curtsied as he bowed, noticing the song ended. He took her hand and lightly placed a kiss on it, using old fashioned terms in slow dancing.

The couples left the dance floor, and an upbeat song soon sounded, only to be interrupted by Lacus on the microphone, "okay everyone! It's 2 o'clock! Half an hour until the party is over, but please feel free to do whatever until that time!"

People cheered in reply, and she shut the microphone off, letting the DJ continue with the song.

Miriallia excused herself from Tai and walked towards Lacus, "so, how are you feeling?"

Lacus smiled brightly, "better, a lot better."

She blinked, "really?"

"Yeah, Hikaru really cheered me up, I shouldn't worry about it, because it's Kira's problem."

Miriallia nodded, then looked over to Kira, who looked like there wasn't a care in the world. She frowned, walking up to Kira angrily, "what the hell do you think you're doing!?"

Kira blinked, "uhh... err... drinking a beer?"

She snatched the bottle from his hands, "you have no idea how much you're hurting her! You're going to lose her one day and it'll be all your fault!!"

The brunet blinked, "what are you talking about?"

Miriallia growled, then raised her arm, slapping him hard across the cheek, "you jerk!"

She stomped from the ballroom, tossing the bottle of beer into the garbage can. _'How come there is so many problems!' _she thought in frustration.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the delay! Ive been pretty busy taking care of the children at this volunteer thing. Gomen nasai!

* * *

After the party, Miriallia stayed behind to help clean up, as well as Cagalli and Stellar. The rest of the guests went home, and didn't bother to stay. Lacus appeared to not even show a _tiny _amount of hurt when Kira had left without a word.

Sweeping the marbled floors, Miriallia turned to her pink haired friend, "so spill it," Lacus looked up from what she was doing and blinked, "what's going on with you and Kira?"

Lacus looked at her, then went back to sweeping the floor, "nothing."

"Lacus..." Miriallia raised her eyebrow.

"Well, whatever is up with him, I don't care, I shouldn't," the pink haired replied, smiling. Miriallia scanned her friend's smile, and saw a small trace of sadness lingering, but could also see sincerity.

"Well, if you say so Lacus... but if that jerk breaks your heart ... tell me okay? And I'll hurt him SO bad..." Cagalli said, butting into the conversation.

Lacus smiled, "alright Cagalli."

They continued cleaning, Miriallia trying to erase thoughts of Dearka from her mind. She glanced at the clock, and saw that it was 3 o'clock in the morning. She sighed, and went into the kitchen, washing dishes and cleaning up after the food. Lacus' maid stopped her, "you don't have to, Miss, I'll get it," she said kindly.

Miriallia smiled, then left the kitchen, looking around to see most of the cleaning jobs being taken over by maids. Cagalli collapsed onto the couch, resting. Lacus sighed, "well, you two are welcome to stay overnight, I'm sure you are exhausted."

The brunette smiled, "thank you," she replied, then went upstairs, looking for the guest room to find some extra pajamas.

Hearing the sound of glass breaking, she hurried to the edge of the stairs, then sighed when she heard Cagalli say, "oops.. sorry Lacus."

She went back upstairs, then found one of the many guest rooms. She smiled, seeing how well furnished Lacus had made it. A soft, cushiony bed with red silk sheets. Pale green, velvet curtains, matching with a thick, cream rug.

Miriallia sat down on the bed, the downy material sinking under her weight. Putting her head in her hands, she frowned.

_'That stupid Dearka... why does he have to be so... persistent? I told him to back off... and yet he still believes we should be friends! Why is that..?'_

Erasing these thoughts from her mind, well actually pushing them to the back of her mind, she looked through the wooden drawers for some PJ's. Sweat dropping, she pulled out a black dress. A lingerie dress. Why in the world would Lacus keep such a kinky thing?

Sighing, she shrugged, too tired to go searching for some other night gown, and slipped it on before diving into the covers. Pulling the silk sheets up to her chin, she yawned. Thoughts of the blonde man slipped into her mind, no matter how hard she tried to erase the thoughts of him.

_'I hate him.'_

- - -

Opening her eyes to the light of the bright sunlight pouring into the room, she blinked. What time was it? Turning to the bedside table beside her, she read the digits on the clock, '12:00 pm'

Frowning, she sat up, "that late already...?" she groaned warily. Stretching and yawning, she got up from the comfort of the soft bed, forgetting her lack of clothing. Stepping downstairs and trying to rub the sleep from her eyes, she said, "morning Lacus; Cagalli..."

Hearing no reply, and stopped rubbing her eye, looking towards where she thought Lacus and Cagalli would be. Gasping, she realized that the people there weren't Lacus and Cagalli at all.

"Milly?" came a shocked voice that she recognized was Athrun's.

"Mir... I-I had no idea you could wear _t-that _kind of thing..." she heard Dearka stutter.

She followed Dearka's eyes for they weren't on her face, she squealed, remembering her naughty lingerie that she wore for bed. Turning around with a flushed face, she ran back upstairs, hoping they wouldn't also get a flash of her black undies as well.

- - -

Dearka and Athrun blinked, looking to each other. Dearka had a small nosebleed, and Athrun only had a slight trace of pink in his cheeks, nothing compared to Dearka's bright red cheeks. He had no idea he would ever get to see Miriallia like that, he only came here to eat lunch.

Sighing, he realized she would get angry with him. First of all, for coming here, but that wasn't really his fault, Lacus had invited him. And second of all, for seeing her like that. But it was an accident! He didn't mean to see her like that!

Lacus and Cagalli stepped into the room, carrying a plate full of grilled cheese sandwiches. They stopped, wondering why Dearka had blood trickling down his face, and why Athrun had pink cheeks.

- - -

_'Oh God.. I can't believe they saw me.. wearing this!'_ Miriallia's cheeks reddened more as she took off the lingerie, and looked through the drawers to find a simple tank top and shorts.

_'More importantly.. I can't believe Dearka saw me like that...' _She frowned, why did _he _come anyway? Had Lacus invited those two for lunch? Glaring at the wall, she sighed. She hated that man, or was it really hate? She had no idea, but she knew she detested him.

Stepping out of the guest room, she took in a deep breath, courageously stepping down the stairs and facing her fears. Athrun and Dearka avoided looking at her, but she just shrugged. Sitting down in the seat beside Lacus, she grabbed a grilled cheese sandwich, shoving it into her mouth, realizing how hungry she was.

"Well, youfinally woke up, hmm?" Lacus said, smiling.

She nodded, then gulped down her food before turning to Athrun, "where's Kira? He's usually here for lunch whenever you're invited."

Athrun shrugged, "he said he didn't want to come."

Catching a glance at Lacus, they noticed she tensed a little. Cagalli placed a hand on her friends back, "it's okay Lacus, really. He's just being a jerk to you."

They turned to Athrun, "I wonder..." Miriallia murmured suspiciously, "do you know anything about this Athrun?"

Athrun sighed, "no.. I don't. I asked him if anything was up, and he just shrugged and ignored me," he replied.

Lacus sighed, but then shrugged. She continued eating as if nothing was wrong, and smiled, "well I guess somethings on his mind then," she said. The four continued eating in silence, and Miriallia finished first, getting up and heading towards the pool in the back.

"If anyone wants to join me, I'll be at the pool," she said and turned the corner. Lacus nodded, and told everyone where the spare bathing suits were. Dearka blinked, _'she said 'anyone'.. does she mean I can come too?' _he thought hopefully. He gulped down his food hurriedly and followed after her.

He went outside, and saw Miriallia floating in the water, already in her orange bikini. He padded over to her, "hey there."

She glanced at him for a few seconds, then looked back up to the sky, "what do _you _want?"

He smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his head with his hand, "er... you said anyone could join you right?"

She sighed, "I suppose so, but didn't I tell you that we shouldn't be friends?"

"And didn't I tell you I wasn't just going to forget you?"

Miriallia was stuck, and didn't know what to say back. She chose not to reply, and ignored him as he jumped into the pool. He swam around, but when he tried to come near her, she would kick the water a little and move away.

She thought he was going to try and convince her for them to be friends, but was surprised he didn't. Lacus, Athrun and Cagalli walked out, wearing their swim attire. Athrun cannonballed into the water, splashing Cagalli and Lacus on the sidelines. Cagalli became infuriated and splashed in after him, wrestling him in the water.

"Mmmf! .. Ah! Cagalli! Let go! (glub!)" he cried, gasping for air. She ruffled his wet hair, keeping him under water for a bit longer, then appeared above water with him in her grasp. Finally, Cagalli let him go, and he chocked, beating his chest and coughing up water.

Lacus giggled at the couple's antics, then swung her feet over the tiled edge of the platform, then slid into the water.

"Let's play water tag!" she announced, "I'll be the judge! Choose a partner for you to sit on their shoulders! Girls on guys!" she smirked secretly, knowing Cagalli would choose Athrun and Miriallia would have no choice but to choose Dearka. She wanted them to get together so badly.

_'What.. did ... she ...say?'_ Miriallia looked over and saw Cagalli already on Athrun's shoulders, splashing at her and Dearka. "Come on! Don't be chicken now!" she challenged. Miriallia _loved_ challenges. She turned to Dearka, then held her breath, still not believing what she was about to do.

* * *

(A/N:)Hope you enjoyed that... It was sure fun writing. Please review! Oh! And if you're confused about Kira, don't worry, you'll find out soon enough. And about those guys Lacus and Milly met at the party, that's not the last you've seen of them either. Well, please review!


	5. Chapter 5

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Dearka could almost smile about this. Here he was in the pool, being challenged to a game that requires girls on guy's shoulders, with a flustered and reluctant Miriallia asking to be his partner. He stopped himself from showing a frown, it's not like there was anybody else that could be her partner anyway. He nodded, then ducked under water, soon resurfacing with Miriallia on his shoulders. He blushed, thinking of how kinky it was, his head in between her legs. What ruined the picture was that it was the _back _of his head.

He sighed, standing in the shallow end of the pool and facing Athrun and Cagalli. He had to admit, he was afraid of the blonde girl. He didn't really worry about Athrun, Athrun was more gentle and kind despite his size.

Miriallia turned to Lacus, death glaring her, but then realized Stellar was beside her, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She guessed that Stellar was also in the guest rooms and had just woken up, but was in a bikini anyway.

Lacus grinned, "you have to push the other person off of their partners shoulders about... five times, then I'll determine the winner!" she said. Stellar grinned in excitement, "go Mir!" she cheered. Miriallia became determined, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Lacus, somehow getting hold of a whistle, blew on it, and the game was on.

Dearka and Miriallia faced Cagalli and Athrun, Miriallia ignoring the blonde girls smirk. Athrun then began to charge towards them, Cagalli grinning like no end. Miriallia and Dearka braced themselves, "this is it..."

Cagalli and Athrun charged at them, but Dearka's feet were firmly on the bottom of the pool. The two developed a plan without talking, and only locked eyes and nodded. Stellar saw the connection, not understanding the plan but knew the two were up to something. As the two couples battled eachother, Miriallia's mind was elsewhere. She wished she and Dearka could've at least be friends, but for some reason, there was a voice in her head telling her not to. She trusted her head more than her heart and feeling. Only once had the two fallen from Cagalli's and Athrun's force, but they got right back up again, and came back with full force.

The blonde man grinned, "good work, Mir," he encouraged. He felt happiness that the two of them could work well together, and he wished it could develop into friendship... or maybe even more. He knew he had a crush on the brunette. He wasn't just about to let her go, but he knew how stubborn she could be.

"Pay attention, Dearka! They're coming again!"

- - -

An exhausted Athrun collapsed on the pool deck, followed by Cagalli who had just pulled herself out of the pool and slumped into a chair. Miriallia and Dearka were dancing happily, splashing around in the pool, screaming, _'we won! We won! In your face!'_

Stellar was grinning, she clapped her hands together, and then stood up, seeing Lacus go into the mansion for some snacks to bring out. The blonde girl followed, wondering if she could help. Dearka and Miriallia were still dancing, and saw Athrun and Cagalli asleep from weariness.

Suddenly, Dearka stopped dancing, and pulled Miriallia even closer to him, embracing her. Miriallia was shocked at the sudden gesture, but thought it was about them winning, and returned the hug. She had to admit, she liked the feel of his arms around her and holding her. He was soft yet firm at the same time, and she could actually feel her heart starting to beat faster.

_No! _There was no way that she could be thinking like this, she had just finished telling him last night that the two of them shouldn't even be friends.

Pulling away abruptly, she frowned at him, but couldn't help but feel that she was missing the feel of his warmth. He blinked at her rejection to his embrace, but grinned toothily, "sorry, I forgot I'm not allowed to be your friend," he said.

Miriallia looked down at that, recognizing the disguised sadness in his joking manner. She couldn't help but wish the two of them could be friends as well. But for some reason, she was afraid to. She remembered the times on the Archangel. When Dearka harshly told her about Tolle as if he knew him, and then how she tried to kill him with that knife. She remembered when he had embraced her to comfort her, and remembered when he would try so hard to make her laugh.

Seeing the solemn look on her face, he blinked, and peered closer at her, trying to read her thoughts through her eyes. Eyes were supposed to be windows to the human soul. In Miriallia's, he could see confusion and sadness. He wondered what she was thinking of since she didn't reply to his remark. He had to admit though, for a natural, she was beautiful. He used to be just like Yzak, hating Naturals and wanting to wipe out their entire existence. He remembered that he had made fun of Miriallia's sorrow on board the Archangel, and he truly regretted that.

The two stood in the chlorine filled water, Miriallia looking away from Dearka, and Dearka peering at her face. Stellar and Lacus were still inside, and Cagalli and Athrun were still sleeping. Now was his chance.

"Hey Mir?"

She looked up at him, sorrow and confusion still lingering in her soul windows.

"I'm sorry."

With that, Dearka pulled her into his arms again, nor caring whether or not she accepted or returned the embrace. He could feel her body tense up, and relax slowly into his arms.

"What for?" she whispered.

"For everything," he replied, his embrace on her tightening.

Miriallia could feel her eyes beginning to tear up, as she knew what he was apologizing for. For talking so badly of her dead love, for mocking her sadness. For.. everything. Even things that he didn't do, he was sorry for. Miriallia understood completely. She felt her own arms wrap around his waist, returning the hug. Burying her face in his shoulder, she didn't let her building tears fall, but just embraced him back.

She couldn't believe herself, accepting comfort from Dearka, and _liking _it. Her head said, _pull away._ But her heart said, _stay like this forever._ For once in her life, her heart was stronger than her own will.

- - - -

"So... what was that all about?"

Miriallia turned to her blonde haired friend. Stellar, Lacus and Cagalli looked at her, questioning expressions on their faces. The guys had left ten minutes ago, and the girls stayed in the den room, with a fire blazing in the huge fireplace. The three girls had been talking, and Miriallia wasn't participating in the conversation, just sitting there and gazing at the flames. She was still thinking about the events earlier today when Cagalli interuppted her thoughts.

The brunette blinked, "what was what all about?"

Cagalli smirked, "you know what I mean, what was with you and Dearka at the pool today? I thought you two weren't friends... but now, lovers?"

A blush spread across her cheeks, "w-what! N-No! We're not! Weren't you asleep?" she stammered, her face growing redder each second. The girls just smiled, but Cagalli's smirk didn't falter.

"No, I wasn't asleep, I woke up to see you two... and then he pulled you into his arms, remember?"

Stellar grinned, "yay! Miriallia and Dearka are really cute together!" she said happily, and Lacus chirped in, "yes, they are." Cagalli sighed, "so much for hating him, huh Mir?" she teased. Miriallia thought she would die from the embaressment. Immediately, Miriallia stood up from the ground she was sitting on, a frown upon her features, not to mention a dark blush. The three girls looked up at her, a questioning look on their faces.

"What's wrong?" Cagalli asked.

Miriallia growled, "it...it wasn't like that! You don't understand! I don't like him! We're probably not even friends! I told him to stay away from me, but..." she looked down, "but he won't go away!"

"Sounds like he really wants to be your friend, why did you tell him to stay away from you?" Lacus asked.

"I...I-I... don't know," she replied.

Cagalli sighed, "well... sounds to me like you're afraid of being his friend," she said wisely, "why is that, Cagalli?"

The three turned to her, their eyes demanding an answer. She sighed, "well.. I don't know, really.. It's just a feeling."

Lacus smiled and Cagalli began to speak again, "I remember on the Archangel, you acted so angrily towards him and hateful, but he looked so understanding, didn't he? He hugged you even when you said you hated him. You two became so close and he was like your best friend," she observed.

Miriallia frowned, "I'm going to sleep, goodnight." Hurrying up the stairs, the frown didn't erase from her lips. They all knew she wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.

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short, I know, but the perfect place to leave a cliffie! Review please!


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